20 best movie villains of all time

Miranda Priestly (The Devil Wears Prada)

Not all villains are murderers or criminals. Some are the silent type, the ones who can bring you to a cold sweat with nothing more than a pursed lip. Miranda Priestly — played by the masterful Meryl Streep — is one villain who can make even a grown man cower in fear, all while wearing head-to-toe designer duds.

Miranda Priestly famously appears in the novel The Devil Wears Prada and the book’s 2006 film adaptation. She is a grey-haired, stoic-faced, hardworking fashion magazine editor who runs a tight ship, to say the very least. When she enters the offices of Runway, employees scurry like scared little mice. The character Nigel famously shouts “Alright everyone, gird your loins!” the first time the character enters the office in the film, and he isn’t exaggerating. People are terrified of Miranda, and she doesn’t even have to raise her voice.

Ms. Priestly can annihilate someone without even shouting. With one look, she can shut down a designer’s entire upcoming collection because whatever she says goes. She dictates the fashion trends for the entire country, and that’s a lot of power. She can make or break you in the fashion industry, which Andy learns firsthand. Working in close proximity to the “the dragon lady,” Andy realizes a change in her morals and character, and it pushes her friends and boyfriend away — though to be honest, they are the least supportive bunch of friends ever.

Even though Miranda can be vindictive and cold, she is still a master at her job and in the end, she’s just a woman who worked hard to be the best in her industry, and of course that garners an all-too-familiar label. She may be a villain, but she does have a human side. She just has to hide it away to keep up the stoic persona that got her to the top.